Finished week 2 of the Madcow 5X5. Still in the easy stage of the program, but am already up 2 lbs in body weight. Doing zero cardio, which feels really weird, as does only working out 3 times a week. Knees are stoked to not be running though. Feels so good to be doing something so regimented for a change. Also pretty humbling to realize how out to lunch I'd been on some aspects of training, given how long I've been at it. Motivation is through the roof right now.

I've been doing well noticing definite gains. I have not been lifting all that long though.

I eat food at the wrong times. during the week I am good about my diet for the most part, but it goes to shit on the weekends, which is when I'm not lifting.

Need to eat more on the days I actually lift, and less on the days I am doing nothing.

I've already gained weight from lifting though--heavier on the scale, but not looking like its fat. Though I absolutely need to be cutting while lifting too because I don't want to be over 200 lbs at all.

Plugging in my Rep maxes that i've hit in the past 5 workouts into a 1rm formula, I'm getting numbers that are consistantly 20lbs higher than the 1rm numbers that I based my program off of. I will take this as a sign not only that a few weeks of rest recently have done me very well but also that I'm set up to have a very long and very productive run at this program. Feeling strong...

dr-dre said: it doesnt make sense considering he's on the first week of 531 which basically amounts to a deload week but WTFever.
my shoulder hurts on the bench and dips are impossible. i think i fucked up my rotator cuff this time. fuck. oh well. gonna just squat, row and deadlift till it feels better.

Week 4 of each cycle is Deload. Week 1 is 85% of 90% of your 1rm for as many reps as you can get on the final set, ideally just short of failure. I'm in the second week now, which is 90% of 90% for as many as you can get...

dr-dre said: it doesnt make sense considering he's on the first week of 531 which basically amounts to a deload week but WTFever.
my shoulder hurts on the bench and dips are impossible. i think i fucked up my rotator cuff this time. fuck. oh well. gonna just squat, row and deadlift till it feels better.

Week 4 of each cycle is Deload. Week 1 is 85% of 90% of your 1rm for as many reps as you can get on the final set, ideally just short of failure. I'm in the second week now, which is 90% of 90% for as many as you can get...

Does anyone here not do rows Pendlay style? I've got longish legs, and in order to bring the weight back to the ground with a flat back I'm really having to squat deep. I thought I'd get used to it, but it's just awkward. Seems to really put a strain on my lower back, and also forces my shoulders to roll forward at the bottom of the movement. All exacerbated in the warm up sets when I'm using smaller plates. Any tips?

Your shoulders are supposed to roll forward at the bottom of the movement. They should be rounded out. When the bar is touching your chest at the top of the movement, your shoulders should be pulled back and your thoracic spine should be arched so as to achieve maximal lat contraction.

Your lower back strain isn't because you're tall. It's an uncomfortable position to be in for extended periods of time because it's pure, hellish isometric contraction of your spinal erectors. You're working your entire back -- it's not going to feel like swimming through a cloud of puppies soaked in warm honey.

I do barbell rows at the end of my back workout. Warm-up sets are not needed (I just did deadlifts and chin-ups). Use spacers plates if you have to or lift off a small platform.

That answer is different for everyone, and it depends on what your goals are. Some people want to pack on weight as fast as possible; some want to do it as lean as possible. The slower your gains, the more lean those gains are probably going to be.

You're going to have to experiment and see what works best for you. Don't get stuck on a number.

Your lower back should be arched on bench. Your butt should never come off the bench but a slight arch is normal and proper, don't fight this.

Deadlifts can be done either way. I prefer to come to a dead stop each time, as in DEADlift... This is a little bit tougher and you have to be more on your technique since you're resetting each rep and the initial pull off the floor is where most injuries are going to come from. Touch and go style is perfectly fine though and i'll sometimes do my lighter warm-up sets like this.

For power cleans I don't think it really matters. I work out in a gym where i'd lose my membership for dropping weights, not an option for me. If you're doing multiple reps, dropping it doesn't really make sense to me. One rep... why the hell not assuming you're in a proper gym for it.